


there's poison in the water

by fallingmistinthedark



Series: Hanahaki [2]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Death, Hanahaki Disease, Hydrangeas, M/M, One-Sided Love, Roses, blood mentions, fluff at the end, has this been done before?, klance, minor original character death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-22
Updated: 2016-09-22
Packaged: 2018-08-16 15:05:42
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,052
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8106892
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fallingmistinthedark/pseuds/fallingmistinthedark
Summary: He painfully remembers the first time it happened. There was a scratching in his throat, and it wouldn't go away no matter how much he'd coughed. As he lay in bed though, he felt it coming and coughed a single ruby petal onto his outstretched hand.He knew exactly who it was. Somewhere he'd fallen in love with Keith while they'd been stuck on Aquarion. Somewhere, he'd broken his promise and done the one ting he never wanted to. He'd fallen in love with the one person he never thought he would. He'd fallen in love with the one person who would never return the feeling.





	

**Author's Note:**

> First fic for Klance! And.... I write angst... omg. 
> 
> title from Nothing but Thieves - Honey Whiskey
> 
> get it, because lance's element is water and it's a disease

Lance remembers watching his sister cough out lilac petals. She would look at them fondly, but her eyes held sorrow. She would pat his head and tell him that one day they would go away. They didn't. The lilac turned crimson, and Lance was the one who found her body laying in the bloodied petals with a serene smile on her face. He didn't forget what happened. Sure, he was a flirt, but since then he'd promised himself he wouldn't to fall in love.

He remembers the day he first met Keith and the prick made him look bad. He remembers hating him with all this might. So how, in the course of becoming an intergalactic paladin, bonding with a mechanical blue lion, and saving all of space from Zarkon did he have time to stop hating Keith. He painfully remembers the first time it happened. There was a scratching in his throat, and it wouldn't go away no matter how much he'd coughed. As he lay in bed though, he felt it coming and coughed a single ruby petal onto his outstretched hand. 

He knew exactly who it was. Somewhere he'd fallen in love with Keith while they'd been stuck on Aquarion. Somewhere, he'd broken his promise and done the one ting he never wanted to. He'd fallen in love with the one person he never thought he would. He'd fallen in love with the one person who would never return the feeling.

"Yo Mullet!" Lance called, stalking through the castle's hallways as he caught sight of Keith. He wanted someone to talk to after after spending hours with Coran. Eventually they'd figured out that the healing pod could slow it's progress, but one day he would die from it. Coran's exact words were:

"Well, Lance, the healing pods can do a fair amount, but I'm afraid they aren't equipped to handle this." He'd twirled his mpustache as he'd turned back around to mess with the healing pod more as Lance retreated, wanting to be alone to process it. He'd settled in his favorite viewing room, watching the stars as it finally sunk in. He was going to die, all because he wanted Keith to look at him the same way his father looked at his mother. He choked back the scraping feeling in his throat, but he couldn't hold the rich petal from falling, followed by a few more. He took them in his hands, crushing them in resentment. 

"Lance?" The soft voice called him out of his reverie. He turned his head, shoving the flowers behind him. Hunk smiles back, walking over to join Lance on the couch. "What's up? You only ever come up here when you're down." He continues, taking a seat to the right of Lance. He quickly shoves the petals a little more left so he has even less of a chance of seeing them.

"Just a little homesickness." Lance bites out, putting on his very best fake smile. Hunk frowns, seeing right through the smile. Probably the lie too. 

"It has to be more than that. I've seen you when you get homesick. This is completely different." He tells Lance, tearing his eyes away and looking up at the stars. "You know you can tell me anything, right?" 

"I know." Lance replies quickly. Hunk side-eyes him at the unnaturally fast response, but they sit there in heavy silence until Lance can't take it anymore and drags the petals into the open. 

"Oh no." Hunk exhales, watching as Lance lets the petals go and they flutter to the floor. "Your sister..."

"Yes. I know what it means." He replies, fixing his eyes on the petals scattered across the ground at his feet. He can already imagine how they'll look all bloodied with him in them. 

"Who?" Hunk asks, and Lance hums as he gets up, strutting to the window. He places a hand on it before turning back to his best friend. 

"Keith." He replies, turning back to the window. "Who else?" He adds, placing his other hand next to the one already on the cold glass. It feels refreshing against his warmth, and he shivers at the feeling. 

~

It doesn't really get worse after that, Lance only coughs up a few petals at a time, and when he does he goes to Coran, who only gives him a sympathetic smile as he readies the healing pod. Lance only spends about twenty minutes tops in the pod, but Coran says it's enough, and nobody misses him in that time. Hunk covers when they do go looking for him, since Coran has to watch over him. 

Pidge finds his stash of petals once, and he throws her off by saying he'd found a synthesizing machine somewhere, but didn't remember. She gives him a long, hard stare, but she doesn't say anything later, so he assumes she bought it. 

Keith never senses anything off as they bicker, just the way he likes it. He never wants Keith to know, because if he did he'd never talk to Lance again, and Lance didn't want that. Shiro seems to notice something, but never asks. Allura shoots him a glance whenever he brings his hand up to the back of his neck when he can feel it, and he suspects Coran told her about it. She doesn't question him, but it looks like she wants to. 

He continues on just as he had before, fighting Zarkon with Blue, saving planets, and kicking Galra ass (preferably with Keith). Blue sends him her worry sometimes, gently prodding him to do something about it, but he never does for the fear. Slowly, ever so painfully slowly does it get worse. At some point, it's not just petals, but jagged-edged leaves as well. They're spotted with bright red after they'd dragged their edges along his throat, tearing and ripping. The petals looked different with the crimson on ruby. 

Coran helps him with the bloody coughs, offering his weirdly fatherly backrubs and stupid puns. Sometimes he talks about Altean history, which is surprisingly interesting. Alteans had some really crazy wars over stupid things (but then so did Earthans). Eventually, he'll get through the hacking and off to the pod he'll go. It takes longer now, since there's damage in his lungs. Coran works on trying to find a way to get rid of it, but the one way Lance knows of Lance wouldn't ever agree to. 

One day, as he's coughing up the bloody green and red, Shiro stumbles in before stumbling right back out. Apparently he'd broken his ankle in training and needed a healing pod. He came back in a few minutes later, looking equal parts terrified and weary. 

"Hanahaki?" He asks as Coran moves to help him. Lance nods, still coughing them into the bin provided to him. Shiro winces as he steps into the pod, but Lance doubts it's because his ankle hurts. "Who is it?" 

"Keith." Hunk supplies for him, entering the room with care. Lance grimaces at him, preparing to cough more. Shiro flinches at the name, centering his attention to Lance with a knowing smile. He doesn't say anything more, not even later, when he follows Lance the next time it happens. 

~

"Keith, I think we need to talk." Shiro calls after him. He turns, staying silent as Shiro leads him to an empty room. 

"What is it?" Keith snaps, only wanting to shower and go to sleep. Lance left practice an hour early again and he never came back. Come to mention Hunk left a while after and hadn't come back either. 

"It's about Lance." Shiro states, carefully watching Keith's expression. It evens out, but doesn't do much else. 

"And?" Keith prompts, this close to rolling his eyes. Everything's about Lance.

"Do you know what Hanahaki is?" Shiro asks after a minute, again observing for any negative signs. He doesn't show any when he asks Shiro to explain. 

"No." When Shiro winces ever so slightly, he continues, "What is Hanahaki?" He asks confusedly, earning him a sad shake of Shiro's head. 

"Have you ever seen anyone in love?" Keith looks surprised, but nods.

"You and Matt." He states bluntly, shrugging when Shiro exhales.

"I didn't think you knew." Keith looks amused. 

"I'm not an idiot." Shiro sighs at the clear misunderstanding of this conversation. 

"What do you imagine one-sided love would be like?" Keith blinks, actually looking to consider it. 

"Painful." He answers, and Shiro shakes his head. 

"Yes, in a lot more ways than one, for some people." Keith looks doubly confused now. "Hanahaki Disease is when a person coughs up flower petals when they suffer from unrequited love. Eventually, the petals will become too much, blood will start appearing on them, and you'll choke to death on them if it's never returned or removed." Keith looks shocked, and Shiro can hardly doubt him. He'd been much the same way the first time he coughed up marigold petals back in the Garrison. 

"And what is it have to do with Lance?" 

"He's currently in the healing pod after coughing up bloody roses." Keith's jaw drops, his eyes dropping wide in shock. 

"Who?" He asks, his voice remarkably small in the quiet room. 

"Ask him." Shiro says, turning to leave. "And don't tell him I told you." With that, Shiro leaves Keith. Dropping to his knees, Keith finally understands the feeling he'd had. The small light blue petals that littered his bathroom. The way he felt when Lance was with him. It all made sense. Keith got up and left, one certain goal in mind. 

~

Lance wasn't exactly the most coherent when he finally stumbled out of the healing pod, his foggy mind not exactly registering the arms that caught him. When his vision did clear, he automatically recognized the brown hair in that stupid mullet but the hair didn't go with the gentle protective hold on his waist. 

"Hi." Keith spoke, holding Lance a little tighter. 

"Did I finally die?" Lance asked, still somewhat disoriented

"No, idiot." Keith replied, mouth extremely close to Lance's ear. He shivered in Keith's hold, automatically embarrassed. He tried to get out of the grip, but failed miserably. "It's okay, we're alone." He whispered, tugging Lance just the slightest bit closer still. 

"Why would that be?" Lance asks nervously, laughing timidly. Never in his life did he think Keith Kogane would reduce him to being nervous. 

"This." Keith brougth a hand up to cup Lance's cheek and he almost couldn't believe it but the his hand was there, it was warm, and it was solid. It was real, he realized as beautiful violet-gray eyes closed and lips brushed against his. The scraping in his throat disappeared with it, even if it was the slightest of touches. 

"Why would you do that?" Lance asked, still not quite believing this was what Keith wanted. Somebody must've told Keith and he took pity on him. 

"You really are an idiot." Keith commented incredulously, leaning in again, and again, and again, until Lance was crying and, oh God, it was real. The kind of real that you felt down to your bones. "I love you." Keith said in between every single brush of warmth. Lance couldn't help but say it back, every single time. 

~

Lance snuggled into Keith as he read whatever Altean book Pidge had managed to translate, and Keith lazily wove his fingers through his hair. Lance was just hovering on the edge of sleep and humming contently when suddenly the hand was gone. Lance whined lowly in protest, not opening his eyes just yet. He hears Keith's soft laughter. 

"What are you, a cat?" He teases. Lance huffs at the implication. "Here." Keith says, prompting him to open his eyes and effectively silencing any retorts Lance could have come up with. He opens his eyes to a rose, and suddenly his hatred for the flowers all but disappears, replaced by affection and amusement. 

"Really, a rose?" Lance laughs, taking the dethorned stem from Keith. Keith shrugs, returning his fingers to Lance's hair. 

"I didn't want all your memories of roses to be bad ones." Keith explains, avoiding Lance's grateful looks. "Plus it's been a year, after all." Lance laughs gently, throwing his arms around an embarrassed Keith. 

"Yeah, I guess it has."


End file.
